Press Release – Kapiti Coast District Council
The Kāpiti Coast District Council has awarded a three-year contract to DataCol, New Zealand’s leading meter reading and data collection company, to read the district’s 22,000 water meters.

“We’re pleased to be joining forces with the Council and residents in their efforts for better water conservation and bringing cost-effective metering solutions to the district,” said Bruce Franks, DataCol CEO .

Mr Franks says being awarded this responsibility is another feather in the DataCol team’s cap as the company already serves large and small city and district councils across the country, and will be bringing the best of that experience to the Kāpiti Coast.

“[The DataCol] bid was highly competitive and represents very good value for Kāpiti Residents,” said Kāpiti Mayor Ross Church. “It is an additional bonus that DataCol is a wholly-owned subsidiary of local power supplier Electra. This has got to be good for the shareholders, many of whom are Kāpiti residents.”

Late last year, the Council decided a combination of a lower fixed charge and a volumetric charge for water use would be the most cost-effective way to provide for the water needs of local households and businesses. This charging scheme will start in July 2014.

“Through the new scheme, the Council and Kāpiti residents stand to delay costs associated with new water infrastructure projects or expensive infrastructure upgrades which would cost ratepayers much more in the future. We’re bringing data efficiencies and accurate water consumption data to residents which will tell people how much water they use so they can then look at ways to reduce their use if necessary and avoid water wastage,” Mr Franks says.

The meter readings collected by DataCol will help the Council better understand how residents use water and how the water supply network is performing through alignment of the read routes to meters in the district.